Florida Gators: Women’s tennis wins 138th straight home match

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Junior No. 13-ranked Brianna Morgan's opponent, No. 16 Caroline Doyle, double faulted on match point and handed the No. 2 Florida Gators their 138th consecutive win at home, a 4-3 victory over No. 10-ranked and previously undefeated Stanford on Sunday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
It all came down to two heated battles on singles courts No. 2 and No. 3. No. 3-ranked freshman Josie Kuhlman led Stanford's No. 14 Taylor Davidson in a third set tiebreak on Court 2, 5-0, but Davidson wouldn't go away. The Stanford sophomore won three straight points, allowed one from Kuhlman, then took four in a row to go up, 7-6, in the tiebreak. Kuhlman knotted the tiebreak at 7-all, and the two traded points back and forth before Davidson tallied two-straight to take the match, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8).
As soon as Kuhlman's match came to a close, the focus of a spirited crowd at Linder Stadium shifted to the No. 3 court, where a third-set clash continued between Morgan and Doyle. Morgan went up early, 2-0, in the third, only to have Doyle respond with two straight games to make it 2-2. The set score evened once more at three before Morgan surged ahead with three-straight games, culminating with Doyle's match-ending blunder to grant Morgan the match-clinching win.
The Gators came out firing in singles, sweeping the first set on all six courts. No. 91-ranked Peggy Porter got the ball rolling with a straight-set victory over Lindsey Kostas, 6-0, 6-2, while Brooke Austin, Kuhlman and Morgan were forced into third sets, respectively.
Sophomore No. 27 Belinda Woolcock downed No. 92 Krista Hardebeck, 6-0, in the first set. Woolcock held a 4-1 lead in the second, but allowed Hardebeck to tie it up, 4-4. Woolcock withstood the pressure, however, and rattled off two straight games following a five-all tie to put the Gators ahead, 2-1. Within seconds, No. 44 Kourtney Keegan captured a straight-set win over Ellen Tsay on Court No. 5, 6-2, 6-1, to put the home team up by two.
For just the second time this season, Florida dropped the doubles point to start the match. Spencer Liang and Woolcock picked up an 8-0 doubles win on Court 3 to kick off the event, but Stanford's No. 12-ranked Caroline Doyle and Ellen Tsay downed No. 9 Kuhlman and Porter, 8-2. No. 4-ranked Austin and Keegan fought off a 5-0 disadvantage to make it a 6-4 affair on Court 1, but Stanford's top duo, No. 5-ranked Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao were unwavering in their doubles play and clinched the early point with an 8-4 victory, handing Austin and Keegan their first doubles loss of the dual match season.
Florida opens conference play and hosts reigning SEC Champion, No. 8 Alabama, on Friday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. in the third matchup of a four-match home stand at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
2015 University of Florida Women's Tennis
Scott Linder Stadium at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Doubles
FLORIDA
vs
STANFORD
Winner
Score/match length
Brooke Austin (4)
Taylor Davidson (5)
No. 1 -
Kourtney Keegan (4)
Carol Zhao (5)
STAN*
8-4 (:55)
Josie Kuhlman (9)
Caroline Doyle (12)
No. 2 -
Peggy Porter (9)
Ellen Tsay (12)
STAN
8-2 (:42)
Spencer Liang
Krista Hardebeck
No. 3 -
Belinda Woolcock
Lindsey Kostas
UF
8-0 (:40)
Singles
FLORIDA
vs
STANFORD
Winner
Score/match length
No. 1 -
Brooke Austin (6)
Carol Zhao (10)
STAN
1-6, 6-3, 6-3 (1:50)
No. 2 -
Josie Kuhlman (3)
Taylor Davidson (14)
STAN
2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8) (2:21)
No. 3 -
Brianna Morgan (13)
Caroline Doyle (16)
UF*
6-1, 2-6, 6-3 (2:23)
No. 4 -
Belinda Woolcock (27)
Krista Hardebeck (92)
UF
6-0, 7-5 (1:35)
No. 5 -
Kourtney Keegan (44)
Ellen Tsay
UF
6-2, 6-1 (1:40)
No. 6 -
Peggy Porter (91)
Lindsey Kostas
UF
6-0, 6-2 (1:15)
FINAL SCORE:
Florida - 4
Stanford - 3
* Clinched victory
Records:
Florida 8-1
Stanford 7-1
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3, 2, 1*
Singles: 6, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3*
Attendance: 1,011
Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts - Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
Opening statement...
"We did not play well in doubles at all. The moment really got to us. We showed our youth there a little bit in doubles. But then we reset amazingly going into singles. We won all first singles sets and I think against a quality team like Stanford, that's very difficult to do, so at that point I was proud of them to be able to come back from the poor play in doubles to do what they did in the beginning of singles. In the back of your mind you're thinking every time we play them it's going to go down to the wire. They're too good of a team to just go away and the next thing you know, they're winning the second set here and they're winning the second set there. Our athletes showed some real courage at times and resilience. But if you want to win anything you've got to be tough in the clutch, and today I thought we were really good."
On watching Josie Kuhlman and Brianna Morgan's matches at the very end...
"It's a funny sport because we have one kid in [the locker room] feeling down and the other one is feeling on top of the world right now. They're both phenomenal. I told Josie after the match, if it's three-all, I still want her to be the one it comes down to because she's always going to give us a chance. Today, you've just got to give credit to Taylor [Davidson]. She was on the brink of going down and stepped up her game and if it was an inch here and there, this is 5-2 Florida instead of 4-3.
"Bri [Brianna Morgan] was amazing. In the third set it was all determination. There was really nothing we could say to her. It was to keep her calm more than anything because she wanted it so badly."
On putting the home winning streak on the line...
"We're asking for it. We had Stanford at home, next week we have the reigning SEC Champion, Alabama, we've got No. 3 Georgia coming a couple of weeks after that, so the streak is cool to talk about but it's really not something we're emphasizing. It's there because we play good, disciplined tennis at home. And obviously we have that terrific crowd too. They were remarkable today. They really helped us along."
138 and Counting:
Florida extended its overall program-record home winning streak of 138 with tonight's 4-3 victory over Stanford. The streak is the longest active home win streak of any NCAA DI women's team in any sport and second-longest of any NCAA DI team behind the NCAA-record run by the Ohio State men's tennis team, which recently recorded its 201st consecutive home win.
Florida vs. Stanford:
Florida now edges Stanford, 4-3, when playing in Gainesville. The Stanford Cardinal, however, lead the all-time series with the Florida Gators, 19-14.
Home Sweet Home:
Florida boasts an impressive 473-25 all-time home record in Gainesville.
Flashback for Bri:
The last time the Florida Gators hosted the Stanford Cardinal was on February 24, 2013. In that match it was also Brianna Morgan, a freshman that year, who clinched a 4-2 win for the Gators with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over No. 98 Stacey Tan at No. 4 singles.

About Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Junior No. 13-ranked Brianna Morgan's opponent, No. 16 Caroline Doyle, double faulted on match point and handed the No. 2 Florida Gators their 138th consecutive win at home, a 4-3 victory over No. 10-ranked and previously undefeated Stanford on Sunday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
It all came down to two heated battles on singles courts No. 2 and No. 3. No. 3-ranked freshman Josie Kuhlman led Stanford's No. 14 Taylor Davidson in a third set tiebreak on Court 2, 5-0, but Davidson wouldn't go away. The Stanford sophomore won three straight points, allowed one from Kuhlman, then took four in a row to go up, 7-6, in the tiebreak. Kuhlman knotted the tiebreak at 7-all, and the two traded points back and forth before Davidson tallied two-straight to take the match, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8).
As soon as Kuhlman's match came to a close, the focus of a spirited crowd at Linder Stadium shifted to the No. 3 court, where a third-set clash continued between Morgan and Doyle. Morgan went up early, 2-0, in the third, only to have Doyle respond with two straight games to make it 2-2. The set score evened once more at three before Morgan surged ahead with three-straight games, culminating with Doyle's match-ending blunder to grant Morgan the match-clinching win.
The Gators came out firing in singles, sweeping the first set on all six courts. No. 91-ranked Peggy Porter got the ball rolling with a straight-set victory over Lindsey Kostas, 6-0, 6-2, while Brooke Austin, Kuhlman and Morgan were forced into third sets, respectively.
Sophomore No. 27 Belinda Woolcock downed No. 92 Krista Hardebeck, 6-0, in the first set. Woolcock held a 4-1 lead in the second, but allowed Hardebeck to tie it up, 4-4. Woolcock withstood the pressure, however, and rattled off two straight games following a five-all tie to put the Gators ahead, 2-1. Within seconds, No. 44 Kourtney Keegan captured a straight-set win over Ellen Tsay on Court No. 5, 6-2, 6-1, to put the home team up by two.
For just the second time this season, Florida dropped the doubles point to start the match. Spencer Liang and Woolcock picked up an 8-0 doubles win on Court 3 to kick off the event, but Stanford's No. 12-ranked Caroline Doyle and Ellen Tsay downed No. 9 Kuhlman and Porter, 8-2. No. 4-ranked Austin and Keegan fought off a 5-0 disadvantage to make it a 6-4 affair on Court 1, but Stanford's top duo, No. 5-ranked Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao were unwavering in their doubles play and clinched the early point with an 8-4 victory, handing Austin and Keegan their first doubles loss of the dual match season.
Florida opens conference play and hosts reigning SEC Champion, No. 8 Alabama, on Friday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. in the third matchup of a four-match home stand at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
2015 University of Florida Women's Tennis
Scott Linder Stadium at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Doubles
FLORIDA
vs
STANFORD
Winner
Score/match length
Brooke Austin (4)
Taylor Davidson (5)
No. 1 -
Kourtney Keegan (4)
Carol Zhao (5)
STAN*
8-4 (:55)
Josie Kuhlman (9)
Caroline Doyle (12)
No. 2 -
Peggy Porter (9)
Ellen Tsay (12)
STAN
8-2 (:42)
Spencer Liang
Krista Hardebeck
No. 3 -
Belinda Woolcock
Lindsey Kostas
UF
8-0 (:40)
Singles
FLORIDA
vs
STANFORD
Winner
Score/match length
No. 1 -
Brooke Austin (6)
Carol Zhao (10)
STAN
1-6, 6-3, 6-3 (1:50)
No. 2 -
Josie Kuhlman (3)
Taylor Davidson (14)
STAN
2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8) (2:21)
No. 3 -
Brianna Morgan (13)
Caroline Doyle (16)
UF*
6-1, 2-6, 6-3 (2:23)
No. 4 -
Belinda Woolcock (27)
Krista Hardebeck (92)
UF
6-0, 7-5 (1:35)
No. 5 -
Kourtney Keegan (44)
Ellen Tsay
UF
6-2, 6-1 (1:40)
No. 6 -
Peggy Porter (91)
Lindsey Kostas
UF
6-0, 6-2 (1:15)
FINAL SCORE:
Florida - 4
Stanford - 3
* Clinched victory
Records:
Florida 8-1
Stanford 7-1
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3, 2, 1*
Singles: 6, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3*
Attendance: 1,011
Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts - Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
Opening statement...
"We did not play well in doubles at all. The moment really got to us. We showed our youth there a little bit in doubles. But then we reset amazingly going into singles. We won all first singles sets and I think against a quality team like Stanford, that's very difficult to do, so at that point I was proud of them to be able to come back from the poor play in doubles to do what they did in the beginning of singles. In the back of your mind you're thinking every time we play them it's going to go down to the wire. They're too good of a team to just go away and the next thing you know, they're winning the second set here and they're winning the second set there. Our athletes showed some real courage at times and resilience. But if you want to win anything you've got to be tough in the clutch, and today I thought we were really good."
On watching Josie Kuhlman and Brianna Morgan's matches at the very end...
"It's a funny sport because we have one kid in [the locker room] feeling down and the other one is feeling on top of the world right now. They're both phenomenal. I told Josie after the match, if it's three-all, I still want her to be the one it comes down to because she's always going to give us a chance. Today, you've just got to give credit to Taylor [Davidson]. She was on the brink of going down and stepped up her game and if it was an inch here and there, this is 5-2 Florida instead of 4-3.
"Bri [Brianna Morgan] was amazing. In the third set it was all determination. There was really nothing we could say to her. It was to keep her calm more than anything because she wanted it so badly."
On putting the home winning streak on the line...
"We're asking for it. We had Stanford at home, next week we have the reigning SEC Champion, Alabama, we've got No. 3 Georgia coming a couple of weeks after that, so the streak is cool to talk about but it's really not something we're emphasizing. It's there because we play good, disciplined tennis at home. And obviously we have that terrific crowd too. They were remarkable today. They really helped us along."
138 and Counting:
Florida extended its overall program-record home winning streak of 138 with tonight's 4-3 victory over Stanford. The streak is the longest active home win streak of any NCAA DI women's team in any sport and second-longest of any NCAA DI team behind the NCAA-record run by the Ohio State men's tennis team, which recently recorded its 201st consecutive home win.
Florida vs. Stanford:
Florida now edges Stanford, 4-3, when playing in Gainesville. The Stanford Cardinal, however, lead the all-time series with the Florida Gators, 19-14.
Home Sweet Home:
Florida boasts an impressive 473-25 all-time home record in Gainesville.
Flashback for Bri:
The last time the Florida Gators hosted the Stanford Cardinal was on February 24, 2013. In that match it was also Brianna Morgan, a freshman that year, who clinched a 4-2 win for the Gators with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over No. 98 Stacey Tan at No. 4 singles.

Andrew Spiveyandrewspiveyandrew.spivey1987@yahoo.comAuthorAndrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.GatorCountry.com